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sleepyboi2988's review
5.0
Donald continues his excellent series of memoirs chronicling his and those around him participation in one the worst Allied defeats of the war. He also takes the time at the end to explain the plight of the British Red Devils and the Polish Para's chronicling their struggle and being hung out to dry by Monty.
bookaneer's review
4.0
I promised to one of my friends in GR to make a review of this book. We’re both fans of the Stephen Ambrose’s Band of Brothers and he would like to know how the 101st Airborne Division feat was during Operation Market Garden. Well, lucky that this book is written by a paratrooper, member of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, which was the same regiment as Easy Company. Different battalion though.
First I have to say that Burgett wrote his war memoir very well. I’ve read a number of war memoirs, which are usually great, but this one is unique. Somehow he managed to arrange his stories as compact as possible (Market Garden was the largest airborne operation then), but still succeeded in including all important details (combat missions, battle strategy, combined with lots of hilarious, quirky events).
Burgett recounted how the Screaming Eagles (nickname for the 101st) were deployed into a disastrous operation in Holland, courtesy of Monty (and Ike of course, as the Supreme Commander). The British higher echelons were quite the ‘antagonist’ here, not the Germans. They deliberately ignored intels about the presence of panzer divisions in the area, they overlooked the details on the terrain, roads, ferry crossing, and they refused to accept the help from the Dutch underground, which was one of the best underground forces in Europe at that time.
I admit that a number of freakish accidents and mishaps also interfered the operation. Bad weather (delaying reinforcements), wrong drop zones (troopers jump too far from their objective or directly into battle fields, as happened to the poor Polish brigade), supplies were dropped into the German sides instead, complete communication wreck, loss of crucial officers, how could three divisions handle those. But still, undoubtedly Operation Market Garden was significantly flawed since the beginning. Its failure rest on the shoulders of the Command. Monty’s plan to make a thrust into Ruhr was a daring one, but he underestimated the Krauts’ strength and made a number of absurd strategic decisions, such as he did make the best use of the recently-captured Antwerp Port. He practically gave the way for the German 15th Army to escape from Pas de Calais and reinforce Arnhem. And mind you, those SS panzergrenadiers around Arnhem were not old men and young kids, opposite to the Allied Forces’ previous briefings.
I have two favorite events in this Operation. The first is the superb stand-off of Colonel Frost’s battalion of British paratroopers in the city of Arnhem for days waiting for the (eventually never came) British XXX Corps to relieve them. If you’ve seen the movie, Col. Frost was played by Sir Anthony Hopkins. The second is the assault done by one of the battalions in the 82nd Airborne Division to capture the bridges near Nijmegen, planned by the division commander, Gen. Gavin. The British officers were shocked to that plan since they could not imagine paratroopers (!) making a little Normandy-style assault crossing the Waal River. Unfortunately, despite the shocking success of the mission, the Americans became so pissed because the British tanks refused to pave their way to liberate their own encircled paratroopers in Arnhem, which was only 11 miles away, just because they wanted to have some tea and waiting for their infantry. The British’ text-book approaches during the Operation really annoyed me. Patton wouldn't do that.
Back to the 101st, I think their feat in the Operation was a bit lighter than the 82nd. This is probably because they were assigned in the southern part, meaning less enemy’s resistance. However, that did not stop a number of bloody battles to occur and killing thousands of its troops. The battles were so bloody, the Screaming Eagles named the corridor as "Hell's Highway".
Speaking about paratroopers, Burgett argued that the British and American paratroopers were completely misused by Monty. As paratroopers, they were supposed to jump behind enemy lines, secure the area in rapid assaults for the upcoming infantry then leave the area to go jump some place else. Burgett was once left behind to stall the German forces (an entire regiment of artillery, a battalion of engineers and an armored division) with only four other troopers.
However, despite they were being treated as regular infantry, their performance was worth applauding. Especially the Red Devils (nickname for the British 1st Airborne Division) who bravely stood up to their defense although they were surrounded by superior armor and armor grenadier forces, run over by SS panzer divisions, pounded mercilessly by artilleries and attacked frontally from all sides. Even the battle-hardened Germans saluted them for their bravery.
Well, apparently I’ve written a review about two books, LOL. It so happened that I’ve recently finished a splendid masterpiece from Cornelius Ryan, titled A Bridge Too Far. Oh well, if you want to read a more personalized, concise, easy-to-read, less technical account of the Operation, you better read Burgett’s book. Reading close-quarter combats in fox holes and towns has never been this exciting.
However, if you think you can handle all the debacles of Operation Market Garden and to look at them from all sides including the Germans, while also craving for more meticulously-researched facts (including the gruesome, frustrating ones), go read A Bridge Too Far.
First I have to say that Burgett wrote his war memoir very well. I’ve read a number of war memoirs, which are usually great, but this one is unique. Somehow he managed to arrange his stories as compact as possible (Market Garden was the largest airborne operation then), but still succeeded in including all important details (combat missions, battle strategy, combined with lots of hilarious, quirky events).
Burgett recounted how the Screaming Eagles (nickname for the 101st) were deployed into a disastrous operation in Holland, courtesy of Monty (and Ike of course, as the Supreme Commander). The British higher echelons were quite the ‘antagonist’ here, not the Germans. They deliberately ignored intels about the presence of panzer divisions in the area, they overlooked the details on the terrain, roads, ferry crossing, and they refused to accept the help from the Dutch underground, which was one of the best underground forces in Europe at that time.
I admit that a number of freakish accidents and mishaps also interfered the operation. Bad weather (delaying reinforcements), wrong drop zones (troopers jump too far from their objective or directly into battle fields, as happened to the poor Polish brigade), supplies were dropped into the German sides instead, complete communication wreck, loss of crucial officers, how could three divisions handle those. But still, undoubtedly Operation Market Garden was significantly flawed since the beginning. Its failure rest on the shoulders of the Command. Monty’s plan to make a thrust into Ruhr was a daring one, but he underestimated the Krauts’ strength and made a number of absurd strategic decisions, such as he did make the best use of the recently-captured Antwerp Port. He practically gave the way for the German 15th Army to escape from Pas de Calais and reinforce Arnhem. And mind you, those SS panzergrenadiers around Arnhem were not old men and young kids, opposite to the Allied Forces’ previous briefings.
I have two favorite events in this Operation. The first is the superb stand-off of Colonel Frost’s battalion of British paratroopers in the city of Arnhem for days waiting for the (eventually never came) British XXX Corps to relieve them. If you’ve seen the movie, Col. Frost was played by Sir Anthony Hopkins. The second is the assault done by one of the battalions in the 82nd Airborne Division to capture the bridges near Nijmegen, planned by the division commander, Gen. Gavin. The British officers were shocked to that plan since they could not imagine paratroopers (!) making a little Normandy-style assault crossing the Waal River. Unfortunately, despite the shocking success of the mission, the Americans became so pissed because the British tanks refused to pave their way to liberate their own encircled paratroopers in Arnhem, which was only 11 miles away, just because they wanted to have some tea and waiting for their infantry. The British’ text-book approaches during the Operation really annoyed me. Patton wouldn't do that.
Back to the 101st, I think their feat in the Operation was a bit lighter than the 82nd. This is probably because they were assigned in the southern part, meaning less enemy’s resistance. However, that did not stop a number of bloody battles to occur and killing thousands of its troops. The battles were so bloody, the Screaming Eagles named the corridor as "Hell's Highway".
Speaking about paratroopers, Burgett argued that the British and American paratroopers were completely misused by Monty. As paratroopers, they were supposed to jump behind enemy lines, secure the area in rapid assaults for the upcoming infantry then leave the area to go jump some place else. Burgett was once left behind to stall the German forces (an entire regiment of artillery, a battalion of engineers and an armored division) with only four other troopers.
However, despite they were being treated as regular infantry, their performance was worth applauding. Especially the Red Devils (nickname for the British 1st Airborne Division) who bravely stood up to their defense although they were surrounded by superior armor and armor grenadier forces, run over by SS panzer divisions, pounded mercilessly by artilleries and attacked frontally from all sides. Even the battle-hardened Germans saluted them for their bravery.
Well, apparently I’ve written a review about two books, LOL. It so happened that I’ve recently finished a splendid masterpiece from Cornelius Ryan, titled A Bridge Too Far. Oh well, if you want to read a more personalized, concise, easy-to-read, less technical account of the Operation, you better read Burgett’s book. Reading close-quarter combats in fox holes and towns has never been this exciting.
However, if you think you can handle all the debacles of Operation Market Garden and to look at them from all sides including the Germans, while also craving for more meticulously-researched facts (including the gruesome, frustrating ones), go read A Bridge Too Far.
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